News

Police: Car linked to fatal shooting of Santa Clara County paramedic found in Oakland

By Kristin J. Bender Oakland Tribune

Posted:
04/11/2013 09:09:41 AM PDT

Updated:
04/11/2013 09:10:04 AM PDT

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Oakland police investigate a shooting scene in the 5200 block of Keller Avenue in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, April 2, 2013. A man was shot at least once while inside his vehicle and is in guarded condition in a local hospital. No suspects and no motive were immediately known, police said. (Jane Tyska/Staff)

OAKLAND -- Investigators have recovered a car that may have been used by the person who fatally shot a San Jose paramedic last week in the Oakland hills, police said.

Police found the abandoned car -- they declined to name the make and model -- about 3:30 p.m. April 3 ï»¿near Horace Mann Elementary School in East Oakland's Melrose district, miles from where Quinn Boyer, 34, was shot about 27 hours earlier on Keller Avenue.

Witnesses in the Keller Avenue area described a "suspicious vehicle" in the area on the day Boyer was shot, giving investigators an idea of the car they were seeking.

No one has been arrested in connection with the crime. Police would not pinpoint why they believe the vehicle is linked to the crime because the investigation is ongoing and the suspect is at-large.

Quinn Boyer (KGO-TV) (KGO-TV)

Boyer, a Dublin resident, had taken his father to a doctor's appointment on the morning of April 2 and then dropped him off at home. He was stopped at Keller Avenue and Hansom Drive about noon when someone pulled up alongside his Honda Civic and shot him in the head at point-blank range.

Boyer's car went over a median strip and crashed into a ravine, police said. Emergency crews rushed him to the hospital, but he never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead April 4.

Shootings in that area, are rare and police have not released possible motives or descriptions of possible suspects. Whether Boyer was targeted or attacked at random also remains unclear.

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Boyer, had worked as a paramedic for Santa Clara County since 2008, with a stellar reputation on the job. In the days after he was shot, a memorial adorned the front lawn of Rural/Metro Ambulance, the contractor with the county, to honor him.

Boyer grew up in Oakland and graduated from Sonoma State, the Santa Rosa Fire Academy and Foothill College's paramedic program. He had recently been accepted into the physician's assistant program at Stanford. He was also a Big Brother and a volunteer at the Order of Malta clinic in Oakland, his family said. His family was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.

A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the shooter. Anyone with information can contact Oakland police at 510-238-3821 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572 or 510-777-3211.